The Little Falls baseball team stepped into the state final four on Friday for the first time since the 1980s.
The stay, however, was short-lived.
Tuckahoe scored all five of its runs in the fourth inning and handed Little Falls a 5-2 loss in the Class C state semifinal round at Maine-Endwell High School.
The Mounties led 1-0 after three innings, but the Tigers’ big fourth inning proved to be too much for Little Falls to overcome.
Little Falls coach Bob Gollegly said his players were “kicking a couple of balls” out in the field.
Missing out on the routine plays, along with “hitting the ball” right at defenders instead of timely hit, doomed the Mounties, Gollegly said.
“It was a perfect storm of making sure we didn’t win,” Gollegly said.
Little Falls made a comeback attempt in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Braden McCumber was a hit by a pitch that forced home a base runner and cut the deficit to three runs.
The Mounties’ comeback was cut short when Tuckahoe recorded a strikeout and a fly out to wrap up the contest.
Little Falls finished its season with a 20-4 record. It included a 13-game win streak that began on May 8, the team’s first sectional title in five seasons (2018) and a state final four appearance for the first time in more than 40 years (1982).
“It was a great year led by our (three) seniors,” Gollegly said. “I can’t thank (the seniors) enough for taking us on this ride. We now have memories we’ll never forget.”
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